Shipping carton for cone top cans



.LHA'YcocK v 2,253,273 SHIPPING CARTON FOR GONE TOP cANs Angle, 1941.

" Filed "June 1o, 1940 Patented Aug. 19, 1941 UNITED STAT-es Param IorFIcE SHIPPING CARTON FOR CONE `TOP CAN S John Hayeock, Larchmont, N.Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application June 10, 1940, Serial No. 339,794

3 Claims. (Cl. 20S- 65) The invention relates to a shipping carton forcone top cans and the like, having a reduced neck portion projectingabove the end seam.

An object of the invention is to provide a shipping carton for cans ofthe above type, wherein means are provided for preventing endwise orlateral movement of the cans in the carton.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single meansassociated with a group of cans, and operating independently thereon foraccomplishing the result stated.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will be in partlhereinafter more fully disclosed.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a section through the upper end of a carton for packagingfour cans with the improvement applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the tubular retainermember.

Figure 5 is a similar View of the encircling collar.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view of the retainer member withthe encircling collar fitted thereto, and Figure 7 is a plan view of theassembled retainer.

The invention relates 'broadly to a shipping carton for cans which isparticularly adapted to house cone top cans having reduced neck portionsprojecting above the end seams` thereof. The carto-n consists of arectangular body portion which, as illustrated, is adapted to receive agroup of four cans, and attached to the body portion are top and bottomend closures. The distance between the end closures is slightly greaterthan the overall height of the cans. To prevent lateral movement of thecans in the carton, a tubular retaining member, which is designed to fitsnugly in the space between the four round cans nested in the carton, isplaced centrally of the carton and in contact with the end seams of thecans. This tube is of such a diameter as to act as a spacer for the cansto prevent lateral shucking of the cans in the carton. The

tube is also of sufficient height to engage the end members of thecarton, and support the upper end so as to maintain said end spaced adistance slightly greater than their overall height of the cans. Anencircling collar is provided for the tubular retaining member which isadapted to overlie the end seams of the cans and contact with the topend of the carton. This collar is so dimensioned as to hold the cansfrom endwise movement in the carton.

Rleferring `in detail' to the drawing, a rectangular carton is indicatedat 8 having bottom and top end closures 9 and IB respectively. Thiscarton S is of sufficient size as to nest four cans II within itsconfining walls and is of a height from `bottom to top slightly greaterthan the overall height of the cans.

The cans II are of the cone top type having end seams I2 and I3 and areduced neck portion I4 at the upper end thereof. This is the type ofcan in which beverages may be placed for shipment and which are usuallyclosed by a crown cap similar to that used on a bottle. The cans shownin the drawing are empty cans which are shipped to the packer from thecan manufacturer, but lled cans with their crown caps in place could bereadily packed in such a carton.

A tubular member I5 is placed in the central space between the cans II.This tubular mem- Iber is so dimensioned as to contact with the endseams 2 and I3 of each of the four cans. The tubular member willtherefore hold the cans in Contact with the side walls of the carton andthus prevent any shucking movement of the cans which might otherwisecause marring or denting of the cans Vwhen the carton is dropped orrough- 1y handled.

A collar I6 is placed on the tubular member I5 and preferably securedthereto. This collar overlies the end seams of the cans and isdimensioned as to length so as to contact with the top end closure ofthe carton. This collar holds the cans rmly seated on the bottom endclosure, even though the carton be inverted.

As noted above, the distance between the bottom end closure of thecarton is slightly greater than the overall height of the can andtherefore, this collar I6 will prevent the neck portion I4 of the canfrom contacting with the top end closure and breaking or rupturing thesame. The space between the neck portion I4 and the top end closure isindicated at I1 in the drawing.

The tube I5 and collar I6 are preferably made of paper or fiber board.It is obvious that this retainer for the cans which holds the cans fromlateral and end-wise movements may be made of wood and may be solid withthe collar formed integral with the tube. It is also obvious that thetube and collar may be made of other shapes in cross section thancircular, the essential feature being that this tubular retaining memberand the collar carried thereby shall be so shaped and dimensioned as tocontact with the cans and hold said cans rmly from lateral movement andalso end-wise movement in the carton.

While the carton illustrated is dimensioned so as to hold a group offour cans, it will be understood that the carton may be dimensioned soas to hold six, eight, `or even more cans. In each instance, however,there is a retainer located in each space between adjacent cans and theretainers will operate to prevent lateral movement of the cans and alsoend-wise movement of rthe cans in the manner which has been describedabove in detail.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shipping carton for cone top cans having reduced neck portionsprojecting above the end seams thereof, comprising a body portionadapted to receive four or more cans, end closures for said bodyportion, the distance between the end closures being slightly greaterthan the overall height of the cans, and a retainer member located inthe space between a group of cans and dimensioned so as to engage theclosure ends of said carton, said retainer member having means overlyingand in contact with the end seams of each can of the group forpreventing endwise movement of the cans in the carton.

2. A shipping carton for cone top cans having reduced neck portionsprojecting above the end seams thereof, comprising a body portionadapted to receive four or more cans, end closures for said bodyportion, the distance between the end closures being slightly greaterthan the overall height of the cans and a tubular retainer memberlocated in the space between a group of cans contacting with the endseams thereof for holding the same spaced from each other, said tubularretaining member being dimensioned so as to engage the closure ends ofthe carton, and having means overlying and in contact with the end seamof each can for preventing endwise movement of the cans in the carton.

3. A shipping carton for cone top cans having reduced neck portionsprojecting above the end seams thereof, comprising a body portionadapted to receive four or more cans, end closures for said bodyportions, the distance between the end closures being slightly greaterthan the overall height of the cans, and a tubular retainer memberlocated in the space between a group of cans contacting with the endseams thereof for holding the same spaced from each other, said tubularretaining member being dimensioned so as to engage the closure ends 0fthe carton and having a collar encircling the same, said collar beingadapted to overlie and contact with the end seams of the cans and beingof a height slightly greater than the distance from the end seam to thetop of the reduced neck portion for preventing endwse movement of thecans in the carton, and the neck portions from contacting with andbreaking the top end closure.

JOHN HAYCOCK.

